jack did not even dare attempt to draw the push-pole up out of the water, lest he manage in some fashion to strike it against the side of the boat, and in this way draw the attention of the enemy.
everything depended on luck—and the current of the river. if this latter proved strong enough to draw the motorboat far enough away, so that its outlines could not be distinguished by those in the rowboat, all might yet be well. certainly if hearty wishes could accomplish anything this end was likely to be achieved, for every one aboard was hoping it would come to pass.
jack soon began to breathe easier. he felt sure the boat would pass back of them, and at a sufficient distance to avoid discovery, unless something unexpected came about to betray their presence. a sneeze just then would have ruined everything; and buster felt a cold chill pass over him when he had such an inclination. he managed to ward the desire off by rubbing[195] both sides of his nose violently, just as he had been taught to do by his mother when in church.
so the sounds died out, and they now heard nothing save the gurgle of the water or the sighing of the summer breeze among the treetops on shore.
far away across the river he caught sight of a light. it was low down and close to the water, so jack could easily guess it marked the spot where the austrian monitor lay anchored.
upon making another trial with the pole jack found it possible to still touch bottom. as it was his desire to keep on pressing out as far as they could go, so as to approach near the middle of the river, he continued to exert himself. every yard gained counted for just so much, and now was the time to do it. later on the opportunity would have passed, and it might be too late.
when they arrived at the point where the save joined forces with the danube it was expected that the influence of this new flow of water would add to the swiftness of their passage.
jack knew that it would be an hour of greatest anxiety while they remained in the region dominated by those big guns. at any minute they might be discovered by some unlucky accident,[196] such as the moon coming out from her concealment, or the breeze rising so as to carry away the gathering fog.
he had everything ready so that the engine could be started up instantly should they have reason to believe they were seen from the austrian shore. as a last resort he was intending to make for the serbian bank, in hopes of finding shelter there. at least, if captured by the serbs, they would be treated decently, once the identity of their passengers had been learned.
the minutes crept slowly past.
all they could do was to sit there and turn their heads to look eagerly first this way and then that.
feeling a tug at his sleeve, jack turned toward josh, who was closest to him.
“look yonder; there are lights, jack!” whispered the other in his ear.
jack guessed that this must be belgrade, though at the time the serbian capital, being the subject of bombardment, lay almost in darkness, so that the vigilant foe across the river might not have the range.
somehow it interested jack deeply to see those few meager lights where at other times the sky might have blazed with the electric glow, for belgrade was always a little paris of the balkans. it seemed to speak of the terrible[197] results that must follow in the train of a brutal war, civilization giving way to barbarity.
and there off to the right must be the save river, flowing from far up in the region between the croatian and the bosnian provinces of austria.
back of this stream he knew there were heavy fortifications dominating the distant serbian capital. it would seem that austria had taken particular pains to threaten her fiery little neighbor on the south, possibly in hopes of some day stirring up another hornets’ nest in the balkans, through which she might attain her selfish ends and annex new territory.
as their course did not lie in that direction jack bothered himself not at all in connection with the save batteries. he was, however, deeply interested in the ones he knew were located upon the lower heights. what peril they must face would spring from this source.
it was perhaps only natural that just then jack should suddenly remember what had been said about searchlights. he wondered whether any were in use in this section of the fighting zone. germans, french and british would certainly have carried such necessary appliances with them, but it was uncertain whether the serbs or the austrians had seen fit to install them here.
[198]
now they seemed to be sweeping around the bend in the river. jack could feel a new motion to the boat, which he believed must come from the addition of the save waters to those of the danube.
he watched both shores alternately. it was almost impossible to make out anything except where some height was dimly outlined against the clouded sky line. then he turned his eyes aloft. the moon had risen, for in the east it was light compared to the west, though nothing of her silvery disc could be discovered.
would the clouds continue to befriend the fugitives of the danube through the dangerous passage of the batteries? if there came a break above even for a brief interval it might spell ruin for their hopes. and so jack hoped most fervently that the clouds would prove merciful and keep on shutting off that light which, coming at an unfortunate moment, might mean their betrayal.
without the slightest warning there came a sudden fearful sound. at the same instant they saw a vivid flash far back on the austrian heights. seconds followed, marked by the accelerated pulsations of their hearts. then followed a crash and a flash over the place where the boys knew the capital lay in darkness and gloom.
[199]
the bombardment of belgrade had begun again. some plan of campaign was being followed out that had to do with either the utter destruction of the city or else the rout of its defenders, so that a hostile army could make the crossing in safety, something they did not dare attempt as long as the serbs remained in their trenches awaiting their coming.
the mere fact of its being night made no difference. long ago the austrians had undoubtedly platted everything out and secured the range for their big guns on the heights back of the river. they could fire just as accurately in utter darkness as in broad daylight, for the shells were hurled with mathematical precision, each one being timed to explode at a certain second.
as if that first shot were looked upon as a defiance, several serb guns took up the challenge. it was inspiring to see the shells burst like giant skyrockets far up on the heights. evidently others besides the austrians had occupied their spare time in getting distances all down to a fine point, for the serbian gunners managed to drop their projectiles in given places, where they threatened to smash some of the tremendous war engines of the enemy.
the boys knew that it was much too late for them to think of turning back now. in fact,[200] such a thing was utterly impossible, much as they might have wished it. all they could do was to keep on floating down the river, trusting in their customary good luck to escape harm.
they could hear strange noises as the reverberations died out, which jack knew must be made by the whizzing shells far above them. it gave him a thrill to realize the fact that he and his three chums were thus brought into the very whirlwind of war, with deadly engines of destruction busy on all sides of them.
even the anchored monitor several miles up the river joined in the music, for that partly muffled roar seemed to come from the direction they knew her to be in.
the two passengers had remained perfectly silent all this while, though their faces kept turned toward the spot where they knew the darkened city must lie. it was easy for jack to imagine what their thoughts must be at such a time as this. no one could say how long this bombardment had been going on, or what sort of damage the terrible shells exploding may have done among the numerous fine buildings of the serbian capital.
by now it might be lying a mass of ruins for aught they knew; and somewhere in the midst their mother had been living the last they[201] heard from her. yes, jack could easily appreciate what agonies of mind the couple must be enduring as they crouched there in each other’s arms, and with throbbing hearts listened to the hoarse crash of the opposing guns, the one friendly and the other freighted with hatred and animosity.
there was, of course, no danger to the party on the motorboat from the shells that were passing so high overhead, describing a parabola in their flight, something after the manner of a rainbow. jack’s fears were along other lines.
if, as he suspected, this night bombardment on the part of the austrian batteries was meant to occupy the attention of their foes while a force of troops was being ferried over the river or a temporary bridge made of pontoons and planks thrown across, it would mean that sooner or later the fugitives must be brought up with a round turn and find themselves caught in a trap.
one shell burst prematurely, and almost overhead, giving them a severe shock, for the sound was deafening. all of them involuntarily dropped down and held their breath in suspense. then they heard missiles striking the water all around with an angry hiss, some of them terribly close.
[202]
“nothing doing!” muttered josh, when the fusillade had stopped and it became evident that they had escaped being struck.
“it was a narrow escape, all the same,” said jack, with deep gratitude in his voice, though at the same time he remembered to keep his tones low.
all of them were fervently hoping there would be no more short fuses with the shells that were screaming overhead. it was bad enough to be passing underneath such a rain of fire without incurring the added peril of being unintentionally struck.
back and forth the duel continued. the serbian gunners were evidently bent on giving as good as they received. they also hoped, no doubt, to make things so warm up there on the heights that the austrians would cease firing in order to save their guns from being dismounted.
every yard counted for the fugitives. hope grew stronger in the heart of buster as they continued to glide along on the bosom of the river and nothing happened to disturb this feeling of increasing confidence. he really began to believe, perhaps for the first time, that they were going, after all, to float beyond the dangerous zone and find safety below.
as he afterwards declared, buster lived years during that period of suspense. it[203] seemed to him that minutes must be hours, for each one was fraught with such unlimited possibilities of evil that such things as seconds were not to be reckoned with at all.
the friendly clouds still held the moon from coming forth to betray them, and it was undoubtedly true that they were passing the worst of the line of bombardment. given just a certain amount of time and they could count themselves safe from that source of danger.
there remained the possibility of coming upon the austrian forces below starting to bridge the river or cross on boats.
jack believed that it was not wise for a white man to shout until he was fully out of the woods. while the prospect certainly looked hopeful, he would not allow himself to believe the danger was over until many more miles had been passed.
between belgrade and the iron gate, which latter is situated at the junction of austria, serbia and rumania, there is a stretch of river nearly a hundred miles in extent. here the danube makes another sharp turn amidst wonderful scenery, and for a long distance forms the boundary between serbia and rumania.
jack realized full well that they could not count themselves free from peril until they saw the shore of rumania on their left. he hardly knew whether it would be wise for them[204] to try and make progress during daylight, for they might be picked up at any time by austrian soldiers afloat on the river, or made the target of concealed guns ashore, under the impression that the motorboat must belong to serbs.
josh, being an ardent chap and easily influenced by outer appearances, actually believed everything was going the right way, and that they had escaped from the jaws of another dilemma. only for jack’s caution he would very likely have been inclined to voice his delight in some boisterous way; but he did not dare give his feelings full sway.
so far the current had done all they could have asked. it had swept the boat onward persistently, and without any sound to betray them. before now, doubtless, those men from the anchored monitor must have found where they had built their little cooking fire and learned that the mysterious motorboat had vanished, either down the river or back again whence it came. jack was not bothering himself in the least about the things that were gone. the wheel of the mill would never turn again with the water that was past, according to his notion.
he kept looking ahead all the time. something was bothering him, undoubtedly, for josh discovered that the skipper had his hand[205] up to his ear, as though trying to add to his powers of hearing.
“what is it, jack?” he whispered.
“i saw lights below, moving lights, and something is going on, i’m afraid,” jack told him. “the sound of the guns deadens everything. i believe it is being kept up on purpose to hide something else. see, you can catch the lights i spoke about now.”
“say, i thought i caught something like hammering just then, jack,” said the other in fresh excitement. “do you think the austrians can be trying to get some of their troops across the river under cover of the darkness and fog?”
“i’ve been afraid we’d find that was the meaning of all the firing,” jack answered. “the austrians don’t dare try it in broad daylight, but hope to push enough men over to-night to hold a bridge-head, and then follow with their field artillery.”
“but what would they try to do, cross on boats, jack?”
“if that was hammering we really heard,” came the reply, “then it means they are trying to spread a pontoon bridge across the danube. long before dawn they could land thousands of men with many guns on the serbian side of the river.”
